Vincent Kompany’s father becomes first black mayor in Belgium

The father of Vincent Kompany, the captain of Manchester City and a star of the Belgian national football team, has been elected as Belgium’s first black mayor, in what has been described as a “historic” moment for the country.

The election of Pierre Kompany, 71, a mechanical engineer born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as the country’s first sub-Saharan-born bourgmestre was celebrated by his son in a video message in which he spoke three languages.

Pierre Kompany topped the poll for the municipality of Ganshoren in Brussels, earning him the title of mayor.

He won 28.38% of the vote, up 5.77% from 2012, to become mayor of Ganshoren, a commune in the north-west of Brussels. Following his victory, the new mayor said he would focus on cleaning up the environment in his commune.

Mr Kompany arrived in Belgium in 1975 as a refugee from what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.

He became active in politics in 2006 as a councillor, and took a seat in the Brussels regional parliament in 2014.

But he is perhaps best known for his famous sons. Vincent Kompany is both the captain of English Premier League club Manchester City and a constant fixture on the Belgium national team.

Vincent’s brother, Francois, plays for Belgian side KSV Roeselare.

Both brothers were quick to congratulate their father in an Instagram post shared with Vincent’s 1.6 million followers.